


Back In The Bus

by jessie_cristo



Series: Bus [1]
Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: Age Swap, Alien Abduction, Alien Invasion, Alien Powers, Alternate Universe - Aliens, Drama & Romance, F/F, F/M, Gay Character, High School, M/M, Older Jared Padalecki, Telepathy, Tin Hat Society, UFOs, Younger Jensen Ackles, area 51
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-22
Updated: 2019-12-08
Packaged: 2021-02-18 00:15:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,849
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21518764
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jessie_cristo/pseuds/jessie_cristo
Summary: Jensen and his friends have been abducted by aliens. They’re scared and unsure about the monumental task they’ve been given. Jensen must fight his doubts and insecurities, learn how to control and wield some nifty, yet scary powers and lead an army to save the entire planet.If all of that wasn’t bad enough, he also needs to finish high school!
Relationships: Aldis Hodge/Alona Tal, Christian Kane/Chad Michael Murray, Jensen Ackles/Jared Padalecki, Katie Cassidy/Rachel Miner, Osric Chau/Traci Dinwiddie
Series: Bus [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1551019
Comments: 17
Kudos: 30





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Betas: cyncitymojo, jerzcaligrl & psykes (These gals should get a medal. They put up w/ so much from me! Love ya ladies!)
> 
> This is a sequel to my very first SPN Big Bang fic, "Back of the Bus". You really must read part 1 to understand this part.  
> Here's the link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19341043

_Back at the Little A’Le’Inn..._

Hilarie and Madge were working together to clear and clean the tables and counters when all three televisions in the large room went dark, then began playing the Emergency Broadcast announcement. The radio near the pass-through window also went on and played the same message as the televisions were.

A couple hundred miles away, televisions and radios all over Las Vegas were doing the same.

So were televisions and radios in all parts of the world. Each in the language native to the region.

The screens on the televisions then cut to a picture of Felicia Day; her face lined with worry and her large, green eyes wide with fear and wonder.

Felicia had always believed that there was more to the universe than what was normally accepted as fact, but she never actually thought she’d find proof of it.

Not just find proof, but be smack dab in the center of it too. She was worried about the missing teens and for the ones on the bus who wouldn’t wake up. But what scared her the most was that now that she had practically been handed the story of a lifetime; would she have the courage to see it through?

It was one thing to theorize about beings from other worlds and another thing entirely to actually interact with them.

As if sensing her thoughts, Hugo shot her an encouraging smile from behind the bulky camera perched on his shoulder.

Letting years of experience take over, Felicia stared straight at the camera and got back to work.

*******

**“This is Felicia Day reporting for _Discovered Worlds_. I’m in a school bus less than five miles from the town of Rachel, Nevada. We are stopped smack dab in the center of Extraterrestrial Highway with breaking news that will make this long stretch of road finally earn its name.**

**With me now, is _\- for lack of a better term -_ a representative of actual ‘not of this world’ aliens… and he has a message for all of Earth.**

**Yes, you heard me right. I said ‘ALIENS’.**

**He calls himself the _’Bus Driver’_ and he has something important to show us.”**

*******

The bright blue eyes of a forty-something man captured every viewer who was watching all over the world. He was handsome, yet slightly unkempt with his wavy brown hair and short beard shot through with gray. 

Yet, even when he smiled to show off strong, white teeth, millions of viewers all over the world could sense something a bit off about him. Even down to the awkward way he was standing when the camera panned back a bit to reveal his upper torso and a bit of his surroundings. 

His right shoulder was cocked up a bit higher than the left, while his arms hung limply at his sides as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other. It was the look of a man who was not quite comfortable in his own skin.

“Greetings, Earthlings! I come in peace.” he said in a mellow, richly timbred and cultured tone. He then gave a little laugh. “Sorry, I’ve always wanted to say that.”

His smile then slowly faded even as his eyes seemed to brighten until they had a slight glow to them. “As the lovely Miss Day said, I am called The Bus Driver and I have an important message for all of planet Earth. Instead of ‘telling’ you this message, I would like to show you. Please, come closer and watch carefully. The existence of your planet and all life on it depends on your total understanding and cooperation.”

The camera then zoomed back in until the screen showed only the man’s head once again. Driver smiled wistfully as he began.

“Once upon a time…” he said, even as the glow in his eyes began to grow, the bright light slowly leeching out the details of his face and then his surroundings until television screens all over the world were nothing but a white so bright, many had to shield their eyes from the glare.

Then just as quickly the glare began to recede and cautious eyes returned to their screens; it was to see a clear and vivid picture of the Earth surrounded by the vastness of space.

But as the view began to slowly zoom in toward the planet, peculiarities began to come into view that all watching eventually picked up on.

The planet had a lot more of the greens and browns than it did blue, the white at the two polar tips was not as prominent and there were two moons, not just one. This was obviously not Earth.

All over the world, humankind watched as the scene unfolded with varying levels of awe, wonder, fear, and disbelief; those without televisions were having it described to them over radios and phones.

Those who were watching slowly stopped moving and just stared at their screens, faces slack as if in a trance. Those listening went into similar states even after the voices of friends, associates, and family members who had been trying to describe the scene on their televisions, dropped off on their listening devices. 

Driver smiled wider as he felt his mind connecting to nearly every living, sentient being on the planet. Inside, the mind of his host connected to his as well, pulling Rob Benedict out of the sleep state Driver had put him in when he’d taken over.

_-What’s going on? Driver?-_

_-Just getting things started, Rob. You said you wanted to be involved when it began. Relax and watch as I finally answer all of your questions.-_

Standing about a football field length away, outside the shield Driver had created around the stopped bus, Donna Ackles stared at the small monitor inside of one of the news vans that had parked nearby. All around her, others were staring entranced as well.

In her mind, Donna was flying high above this strange planet’s surface and getting closer. Her eyes darted around taking in her surroundings. The heat and wind of the dry desert fading from her senses and instead, she felt buffeted, yet also buoyed by cool, strong gusts of wind.

When she went to look down at herself she was startled to realize she no longer had a body. Instead, she seemed to be made up of a bright, glowing light that flared out into a long contrail behind her as she flew through the air.

When she went to try and move left or right or even to stop where she was, Donna realized that she wasn’t in control at all and instead worked to calm herself enough to pay attention to her surroundings.

As she dropped into the lower atmosphere, Donna finally noticed the other balls of light flitting through the skies around her.

There were a lot more varieties of colors than those reported on Earth. Some seemed to even be of two or more colors blended together. They flitted about, drifting on the wind currents or zooming along on their own volition. There were some that traveled in groups and pairs but most seemed to move around on their own, just as Donna was.

Suddenly, the world around her blurred as she dropped at a fast rate. Rushing up toward her at what seemed an uncontrollable rate was a dense forest made up of massive trees that Donna had never seen the likes of. The large leaves on most of the trees were a dark purple, while the trunks were a silvery-white that almost seemed to glow.

Just as she was preparing to scream, so sure she was about to crash into one of the massive trees, her body slowed and began to flit along the treetops; weaving about while slowly descending.

After only a couple of minutes of whizzing through the upper canopy, Donna emerged from the forest onto a large plain of long grasses in varying shades of purple - like the trees. From her altitude, Donna could see the entire area and could only gape in shock as she took everything in.

Scattered about the plain were herds of what she could only deem as dinosaurs. Ones that looked so similar to those she’d seen in books and movies back home, but different enough to impress once again that this was a wholly different world.

All of the creatures were enormous and moved slowly. They came in varying shades of blues, blacks, reds and yes, even the predominant purple. Many also bore black markings in the form of stripes like a tiger or spots like a cheetah - and unlike the dinosaurs of earth, all of them were furred - some with fur that was long enough to brush the grass at their feet.

Donna continued staring around her with awe as she wove in around herds of the animals; all of them spread out around the plain. Most of them congregated around water holes that dotted the whole area.

As she continued observing, information and knowledge she couldn’t possibly have known herself began to seep into her consciousness.

The glowing beings were, in human terms, called the Aureates. They survived merely on the sun’s energy and certain gases in the atmosphere. They flourished in areas heavily populated by the ground-dwellers. They had no actual bodies. so did not need sustenance in the form of food or water, but the carbon dioxide emissions that the massive ground-dwellers gave off fed them enough so they could grow and build up enough electrical energy to make more Aureates.

Then, in symbiotic fashion, the Aureates aided the ground-dwellers by controlling the weather so that it was almost always beneficial to the plants and animals below. A delicate balance that was a benefit to all species.

Also, once in a while, the Aureates would take notice of the creatures and the world below when their direct help was needed. All the creatures on the planet, even those that killed to survive, instinctively knew to never attempt to harm an Aureate, and so these glowing beings could go just about anywhere on the planet. The only thing they had to fear was the complete absence of any kind of light.

Yet, instead of staying up in the sky where they would be safest, the Aureates often visited ground dwellers. From the simple-minded dinosaur-like behemoths to the amazing array of creatures inhabiting the seas, and the intelligent primates that made the forests and caves their homes.

Donna couldn’t help but smile as she finally noticed other balls of light flitting about the plain and spotted a yellow one bobbing about at ground level letting young dinosaurs chase after it in a game of tag.

Just then, the Aureate Donna had been observing through stopped in midair. Other Aureates in the area also stopped where they were and it didn’t take long for the creatures around to also stop what they were doing, many with their heads cocked as if listening to something.

It was then that Donna picked up a sonorous bellow coming from the west; the sound getting picked up by more and more of the dinosaurs. Everything became a rush again as Donna and the other Aureates in the area began rushing toward where the sound had originated from.

In almost no time at all, Donna and the other Aureates were hovering at the high embankment of a wide and roaring river that cut through the plains at its westernmost edge. The water looked deep and was a maelstrom of whitewater.

Donna gasped as she spotted what looked to be a large creature similar to the brachiosaurus of Earth in the middle of the river, straining to keep from being swept away. It was the matriarch of a herd - the knowledge coming from the mind of the Aureate Donna was in - and the oldest and most respected of her kind as well as with other species.

In the churning, deadly water with her were two much smaller ‘brachs’ who couldn’t be more than a year or two old. The matriarch had one grasped by the back of its neck in her mouth and the other braced against the bulk of her body. She was straining to get them both safely back to shore but the powerful current kept pushing her further every time she tried to move.

Many brachs were lined up against the shore, bellowing in distress as they followed her along the river’s side. Some tried to wade in and aid her but kept getting swept off their feet and ending up having to be hauled out to safety by others on the shore.

Donna gasped as she felt a frisson of energy zip through her host’s body and when she glanced down she saw that her host’s body had changed to a deep, bright yellow. When she glanced around her, all the other Aureates had also changed to yellow even as they began to fly down the embankment, headed for the quickly weakening matriarch.

The other brachs on the shore seemed to finally spot the Aureates and began bellowing and thrashing about in excitement - relieved to see them there.

Donna’s host went straight to the matriarch and hovered eye level to the great beast. It then formed an appendage in the shape of the brach’s head and extended it toward the hapless old female. The matriarch turned to deposit the calf in her mouth next to its sibling who was struggling to stay above water and only just managing it because of the matriarch’s body giving it footholds to do so.

The matriarch then swung her long neck and large head back to Donna’s host and touched her snout to the host’s appendage and then Donna felt like she was caught in a whirlwind that was sweeping her down even as she felt her entire being expanding somehow.

Instantly, Donna could feel the beast’s frantic and fearful thoughts. Its concern was mainly focused on the two young she was struggling so valiantly to save.

The matriarch already accepted that she would die, being way too massive for others to pull out and too weak to get herself out. But, she was determined to save the two young females who were the newest additions to the herd.

Donna then felt the reassuring and calming sensation flowing through her and the magnificent beast she and her host were inhabiting.

Meanwhile, the other Aureates in the area began connecting and melding with other brachs along the shore and soon they began to form a chain along the bank. The tail end entering the water upriver and then letting themselves be swept down toward the matriarch; the ones on the bank bracing the ones in the water so that they didn’t lose their footing.

In this fashion, with the Aureates keeping all calm, the chain of creatures was able to get the two young ones out of the water and back to safety.

Just as they were trying to figure out a way to aid the matriarch a dark shadow covered the sun and explosions went off at varying points around them; many of the creatures along the banks were instantly killed or injured.

The Aureates who were inhabiting a host when they were killed, died as well. Chaos erupted, spreading out from the river and across the plain and into the nearby surrounding forests.

The matriarch began to panic and the aureate lost control of her as she tried to climb out of the river again. A nearby blast had broken up the bank enough to slow the flow of water on that side of the river, so this time, the massive beast was able to pull herself out.

The matriarch and all the other creatures that hadn’t run off in fear, looked up and saw something never before seen on their planet. It was an oblong-shaped vessel with pinpoints of red light flashing along its side in a strobing fashion. From the underbelly of the vessel white glowing balls would fall and where the balls hit, another explosion would occur - throwing up huge gouts of dirt, vegetation - leaving behind huge, smoldering craters in the ground.

Time suddenly seemed to fast forward in a multicolored blur in Donna’s mind and then she was back to hovering in the upper atmosphere again. Only this time she was looking down at what once was a verdant and beautiful planet, but was now a blackened and burnt out wasteland for as far as she could see.

Donna could sense that time had passed since the initial attack at the river. She got the impression of weeks and months as her host flew through the murky, ashy atmosphere. On the horizon, Donna spotted a chain of mountains that rose in height as they neared the shore and then continued on into the sea. The last three massive mounts - poking up out of the ocean like large, dragon’s teeth, were aglow with volcanic activity. Their tops ruptured and flowing with what must be tons of lava flowing down their sides; the biggest one shooting up massive boulders and steam.

Her host was skimming along the underside of dank, heavy clouds and Donna could sense that her host was in a desperate rush to get somewhere.

Then suddenly, the Aureate darted up into the soupy cloud cover until it broke through to the other side. They were now hovering in the planet’s outer atmosphere; the vastness of space above and all around them.

The star-studded vista was nearly blocked; completely blotted out by massive, hulking alien ships. Alien even to Donna’s Earthly memories of numerous space-themed shows and movies that she’d seen.

The ships were of varying sizes and shapes but seemed to all be made of a dark kind of metal with red lights that glowed along its side and at various points on each ship.

Donna felt dizzy as she took in the sheer number of them. There were hundreds, maybe thousands of them. Directly above the bulk of the ship was an even larger ship, from which all the other ships came out and went into. 

Further along the curve of the planet, also hovering in inner space, Donna could make out another massive mothership (that’s what her mind supplied to name the largest of all the ships) also emitting clouds of smaller ships from it.

All of the ships’ hulls seemed to be made of dark plates that overlapped and allowed the ships to move in undulating movements that was surprisingly graceful for such large machines.

Their hulls reminded Donna of the scaled skins of fish back on Earth but their overall shapes were cylindrical with red lights that ran along its side and emitted from the large bay along the underbelly of the mothership.

Tearing her shocked and fearful gaze from these fearsome-looking ships, Donna returned her attention to the hundreds, maybe thousands of smaller ships that were zipping about the upper atmosphere of the planet.

She then realized that the smaller ships were in an aerial battle with thousands of Aureates. All of the once benevolent light now blazing a bright blue as they shot off what could only be described as energy bolts at the ships.

The bolts worked against the smaller ships, and even managed to damage parts of the large cruisers that floated above what was obviously their kind of fighter jets.

All of the alien ships had the same scaled cylindrical shape as the mother ship, only they had obvious extrusions for the white bolts of energy they were shooting back at the Aureates.

Donna was at first excited to note that the Aureates far outnumbered the alien ships and a frisson of hope shot through her as she internally shouted encouragement for the brave Aureates.

But then the cruisers began to change shape even as their noses rose up as their rears formed into a massive barrel shape that unfurled at the ends into a funnel shape.

That funnel then began to suck Aureates into it by the hundreds. The remaining Aureats all froze in mid-air as death cries from those being sucked into the cruisers flooded their individual minds through their communal link.

More cruisers moved in, transformed and also began sucking in the stunned Aureates right out of the sky. More death cries flooded the minds of those left behind.

The pain of loss incapacitating almost all of the Aureates. Donna could sense that her host, though also in unimaginable pain, was frantically trying to think of a way to save the rest of his kind.

In desperation, he sent out a frantic scream to the remainder of the Aureates.

_Detach… break the bonds with the dying… do it now if you don’t want to die like them!_

Over the connection, some Aureates inside of the ships passed on a great amount of information about the aliens that they’d been able to garner from the alien minds inside of the ship that they tried to inhabit before being evicted and sucked into a containment are completely devoid of light.

The complete cessation of light almost instantly killing them, but not before they could send on whatever they knew along the mind link with all the Aureates still outside of the ship.

Donna could feel her host’s great anguish and sorrow and yet it once again called for the severing of the bonds.

More than half of the remaining Aureates instantly complied and the severing of their bonds added another note to the agony that was assailing Donna’s host.

The Aureates that balked at the thought of severing a connection they’d known all their lives were quickly sucked up as well and their dying wails added on to the painful bombardment in Donna’s mind.

Then, there was a great wrenching sensation, and quiet. Not a peaceful quiet. An eerie one her host was having trouble adjusting to.

Just then, another Aureate zoomed up to Donna’s host and began weaving in the air - using the same patterns they used when communicating with the land dwellers - urging Donna’s host to follow it.

Other Aureates passed it along and a cloud of a couple thousand of the glowing beings, including Donna’s host, followed that one back down under the cloud cover and straight for the chain of erupting volcanoes.

Some of the fighter ships tried to give chase and engage, but the heat and noxious gases blasting full force out of the volcanoes drove them back.

The gases and the heat didn’t bother the Aureates and the bright burning glow of the lava actually strengthened them and those on the edges shot energy bolts that were ten times stronger than before, taking out hundreds of the fighter crafts until they finally retreated.

Donna’s host and the remaining measly couple hundred of the Aureates could then do nothing but watch as all life on the planet, and the planet itself were systematically destroyed and more of their kind were sucked up and killed.

What the aliens didn’t know was that even as the remaining Aureates were feeling every single death of their kind, they were also receiving and passing on information from those who’d managed to forcibly enter some of the aliens as they desperately tried to avoid getting deposited into the pitch-black chambers of the aliens’ holding cells.

They were also communicating with other groups that had managed to hide or were using other volcanoes on the planet to sustain them as the planet’s atmosphere filled with more and more dust and ash; Slowly but surely blotting out the life-giving rays of the sun, moon, and stars.

What Donna observed from then on came in flashes. She got the sense that weeks maybe even months were passing, but through it all she could feel the deep sorrow going through all of the remaining Aureates that still lived.

They watched helplessly as the aliens systematically destroyed their home. The other lifeforms on the planet were all eradicated in what felt like too short of a time, all growing plants and vast forests long gone before them. Those that weren’t killed or abducted by the aliens in the initial attack were killed off by thirst, hunger, quakes, storms and other natural catastrophes.

Then, one day a new dominant message began to run along the mental bonds that connected all of them. It was new emotions, new concepts to them; something their kind had never known before, but one Donna recognized right off.

It was anger, bitterness, and rage and along with those feelings, also came a visceral need for vengeance.

Events went even faster through Donna’s consciousness. Information gleaned from the thoughts of the alien minds the few Aureate prisoners were able to invade before being evicted from said minds spoke of their next target.

It was of a small blue planet in a galaxy far off of the known travel lanes, inhabited primarily by smaller, weaker beings, as compared to the aliens themselves who looked vaguely reptilian through Aureate senses, and towered at the average height of ten feet, with some easily reaching heights of 12 to 14 feet in height. Along with these heights, most of the alien invaders had the muscles and mass to support their frames.

Their skin was thicker, with a hardened ridge that started at the base of their spines that ran up their backs and ending in a rigid crest at the top of their heads. They also varied in color and patterns and usually wore toga-like shifts made up of a stiff, leathery material.

The blue planet they planned on invading next was a lengthy journey away and all the Aureates could comprehend was that the murderers of their world were planning on doing it again!

The only thing all the surviving Aureates now wanted more than vengeance was a chance to stop the aliens from destroying yet another planet and bringing their murderous campaign to an end.

Aureates, Donna soon discovered, could travel in space. They had no need to breathe, eat or drink. All they needed was light of any kind and contrary to human belief, space was anything but empty and dark.

Time then seemed to fast-forward again and then Donna gasped when the scenery around her reformed to show her a familiar and beloved view.

It was Earth. The Aureates had made it. 

Even as she was fighting back the urge to cry at seeing something familiar, information from the cluster of Aureates that had set out from their far off home planet began filtering through Donna’s consciousness.

Not all of the Aureates had made it. They had run into vacuous black holes, asteroid belts, and other hazards that had damaged the outer edges of the cluster. Whole layers dying and peeling off as the rest could do nothing but continue on. And yet, a deeper aspect of their sorrow was discernible.

They had made it to Earth, but at a steep price. There had been over a million Aureates who left their brethren and their home planet on a mission to save Earth. The amount of Aureates who made it to the outer edges of the Milky Way galaxy and eventually to an Earth sometime at the start of the Ice Age numbered a little under five-hundred thousand.

And now, Donna’s mind openly cried. These benevolent, selfless beings sacrificed more than half of their dying breed to come to the aid of a planet they had no responsibility for.

When they made it to Earth, they scattered to the winds to explore what they considered a new home for them to watch over and protect.

Because they had no need for fuel to travel through space, the Aureates had arrived far in advance of the planet killers. They recognized this and calculated how long it would take them to reach Earth.

Taking turns monitoring the outer rim of the galaxy, the Aureates settled in to wait for however long it took for them to meet their terrible enemy again.

Donna’s mind was suddenly back in her body, a feeling of snapping back into it bringing her to her knees on the dry, sandy ground she stood on.

All around her, others were doing the same; many crying out in shock with devastated expressions and tears flowing freely from their eyes.

It was then that Donna realized that she was crying, as well.


	2. Starting From Scratch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jensen and the other abducted teens wake up with no memory of who they are or what is happening in the world. Meanwhile, residents of Rachel, Nevada are still adjusting to all the changes in their community and Donna Ackles gets a surprise visitor.

“Good morning, Jensen.” said a female voice, pleasant and friendly.

Jensen’s green eyes opened, his vision blurry at first but then clearing until he found himself staring at a hovering olive-green orb of light.

At the center of the light was a flowing shape undulating like opaque mercury. It shaped itself into a rudimentary face and the lips moved until the face was smiling warmly at him.

“Good morning.” Jensen replied, unsure of what else to say.

He felt warm and well-rested and the floating shape above him emanated safety and affection. He couldn’t help but smile in return as he sat up in the bed he was lying in. “Who are you?” he asked.

“You may call me Peridot. It is a real pleasure to finally meet you, Jensen.” the orb replied. “We will be partners in this stage of your training.”

“Jensen? Is that my name?”

“Yes, it is. Jensen Ackles is your full given name. May I call you simply, Jensen?” At Jensen’s nod, Peridot continued. “You are very important. We have been waiting for a very long time for you and the others.”

“Others?”

“Yes, you will be meeting them very soon. You may think of them as your classmates, and this place a school. A very special school.”

Jensen nodded in acceptance.

“For now, I will guide you to where you can bathe and prepare for the day. Then, on to the commissary where you can eat and start meeting your classmates. Orientation will be at 0900 hours in the Main Hall. All students are required to attend.”

Jensen couldn’t think of any reason why he shouldn’t do as instructed, especially since a hot shower and hot food sounded very good at that moment.

While Peridot had been talking, Jensen took the time to take in his surroundings.

The room reminded him of a basic hotel room. Clean but bland in its furnishings. The dominant colors being beige and cream.

There was one double bed under a wide window that had horizontal blinds and gauzy white curtains covering it.

In the corner opposite the bed was a small desk with a lamp and a narrow, empty bookcase next to it made of light-colored wood.

Across from the desk was a small sitting area with two plush armchairs and a low, round, wooden table between them; another small lamp with a white shade perched atop it.

Turning in place, Jensen noted an open door near the bed that looked like it led into a small, walk-in closet.

Mounted right next to the closet door was a long mirror and when he caught his reflection, Jensen slowly made his way to it; his eyes caught by his own reflection.

Peridot had by then stopped talking, but Jensen didn’t notice - he examined his features closely, a small line of confusion forming between his brows.

The first thing he noticed was how green his eyes were. They were a clear moss green color, framed by lush, lashes set in a pleasant, yet unfamiliar face with pale, creamy skin dotted by brown and golden flecks along the cheekbones and the bridge of the nose.

His ears stuck out a bit from the side of his head, and his lips were a moist, plump pink one would usually see on girls.

Girly lips or not, Jensen thought that maybe he was a pleasantly attractive male, but now more important things than his looks began to fill his still slowly awakening mind.

“Who am I?” he asked when he caught sight of Peridot coming to hover just behind and over his left shoulder.

“You are Jensen.” the orb replied in the same pleasant voice.

“No. I know I’m Jensen Ackles, but that’s it. Why don’t I remember where I’m from or how I got here? Why don’t I have memories of anything before waking up in that bed? How do I even _know_ what a hotel’s standard room looks like when I can’t even recall ever having _been_ to a hotel?”

Peridot wobbled in the air a bit before speaking again. “I don’t understand what the decor of a hotel room has to do with the current subject, but I’m positive all will be explained in the Orientation, Jensen. I promise. Now please… freshen up, get dressed. You’ll find all you may need in your closet.”

Confused, but unsure what else he could do or say, Jensen complied. Fifteen minutes later, Jensen found himself in what could only be called a cafeteria, but one decorated like a high-class restaurant. Warm terracotta tiles on the floor, tables and chairs in heavy, glossy wood, warm beige walls with creamy white moldings and steel and glass lighting fixtures along the walls and ceiling that gave the entire room a warm glow.

Food was set out on a long, wooden table that ran along one side of the room. Everything covered in silver-domed chafing dishes and at the far end of the long room were two windows cut into the wall and trash containers and steel trolleys lined up nearby. Jensen could see a few people scraping their plates into one window then depositing their trays into the other before disposing of trash in the bins and leaving drinking glasses on the trolleys.

Scattered among the tables were other people in a variety of ages, sizes, and coloring. Some in what looked like military clothing, others wearing white lab coats, more were dressed in white scrubs and then smack dab in the middle of the room was a large table filled with what looked like kids Jensen’s age all wearing the same blue jumpsuit Peridot had informed him was his school uniform.

Peridot led him straight for that table and when she (it?) and Jensen came to a stop next to the table, the occupants all looked up from their trays of food with curious looks. Beside or hovering above each ‘student’ in blue were other orbs in varying colors; obviously attached to the others as Peridot was to Jensen.

Introductions were made all around but Jensen’s mind was still whirling and as he followed Peridot over to the buffet table to make his plate, Jensen doubted he’d remember a single one of his classmates’ names. At least, not now.

After a satisfying meal of bacon, scrambled eggs, hash browns and toast, Jensen and the rest of the students were escorted out of the cafeteria and down the hall to a large conference-type room (again, Jensen didn’t know how he knew what a conference room was, he just did) and each student was guided to the chairs surrounding the long, mahogany table that dominated the center of the room, by their floating guides.

Instead of spreading them out along the massive table, all six of them were placed at one end, seated facing each other on either side of the table in comfortable, high-backed, black-leather executive chairs.

Set up near the head of the table was a large glass-like slab that was suspended from the ceiling. Next to it was a wooden podium with a small, old-fashioned brass reading lamp sitting on it, and lined up on the other side of the podium were two more leather chairs.

When they were all finally settled, Jensen found himself seated between the good-looking blue-eyed, blond guy who looked to be about the same height as Jensen and a much shorter, but leanly muscled Asian guy with a dimpled smile and warm brown eyes.

Across from them sat the two girls; one blonde and cute, the other brunette and exotically beautiful. They both smiled tentatively at Jensen, so he smiled back.

Just as the blond guy opened his mouth to speak the doors to the room opened and two women and one man strolled in. All three were adults and had friendly, smiling expressions on their faces.

“Good morning, children.” said the mature, attractive white woman with the brown hair and a motherly air to her. “I am Teacher. My human partner is Ms. Samantha Ferris. Together, we will be teaching you to master your defensive abilities as well as your offensive skills.”

The women then indicated the smaller Asian woman who stepped forward with a smile, small hands clasped in front of her. “I am Medic, and my human partner is Mrs. Lauren Tom. We will be teaching you field medic skills in conjunction with your own healing abilities.”

She then stepped back and the male stepped forward.

Jensen found himself sitting straighter in his chair. The older man was very handsome with an infectious smile and warm hazel brown eyes. “Hey kids, I am Ryan Reynolds, please just call me Ryan, Mr. Reynolds is my father. My aureate partner is Trainer. He’s not much of a talker, so I’m making our intros. Trainer and I will be in charge of teaching you how to use your powers in combat situations. Ms. Samantha and Teacher will often join in on our sessions, and I on some of hers, since both of our teachings often merge.”

“Any questions?” Teacher stepped forward again as Ryan stepped back.

The blonde girl raised her hand and Teacher smiled warmly at her. “I may have taken on the historical name of a school instructor but this is not like human schools. Feel free to speak up whenever you need to, Alona. Same goes for the rest of you.”

With a grateful smile, Alona set her elbows on the table, clasping her hands before her as she looked at the three adults standing at the head of the table.

“What did you mean by ‘human partner’? Other than our mentors aren’t we all humans here?”

It was Mrs. Tom, in actuality, Medic, that answered. “We are and we aren’t. Your mentors who appear in their natural forms before us are assigned to be your companions and guides and if need be, your protectors until you are ready and capable of protecting yourselves. But in order to properly train you, certain skills can only be taught to you with the expertise and knowledge from humans who have volunteered for this endeavor. I, the Medic, along with Teacher and Trainer have taken on these monikers to better explain our roles, and have merged with humans who are experts in these fields in order to do our jobs properly.”

The blond guy seated next to Jensen spoke next, his spiky hair glinting in the room’s bright lighting. “You said something about ‘our abilities’. What abilities are you talking about?”

“Well Chad, you see…” Medic started, but paused when Ryan stepped forward.

“These abilities.” he cut in, just as he stepped up to the end of the table and picked up the round, glass paperweight Jensen just now noticed sitting there.

With a casual flick of his hand, Ryan sent the glass sphere flying at the blond guy’s face.

Chad reared back in alarm even as Jensen, Alona, and the last two teens shot out a hand at the glass ball stopping it mere inches from the blond boy’s shocked face.

Chad recovered his composure quickly then his blue eyes seem to sharpen as he glared at the glass ball hovering in the air right in front of him.

With a loud crack, the entire sphere compacted as if crushed by an immense hand; the formerly crystal clear ball was now riddled with hundreds of cracks and lines. Without a single word spoken between them, Jensen and the others dropped their hands and the paperweight broke apart and crumbled to the surface of the conference table, the tinkling of glass the only sound in the room as it settled into a neat pile in front of Chad.

“Well done!” Ryan cheered, clapping slowly as he turned to throw a self-satisfied smirk back at Medic and Teacher. Both women bearing displeased looks on their faces.

_Three weeks later_

Five miles east of Rachel the land had undergone a dramatic change. What looked like a sizable military complex with a perimeter made of a double-walled, chain-link fencing and concertina style razor wire adorning the tops of the fences. ET Highway had been rerouted from a turn-off across from the now RV-glutted town of Rachel, skirting the perimeter of the complex until it connected back to the highway again on the other side.

Inside the complex was a veritable hive of structures that, to the locals, seemed to have gone up overnight. There were white, dome-like structures that were sealed off by a heavy-duty combination of plastic and canvas. Each section connected to each other by sealed tunnels made of the same durable materials. They were being used as labs for the many scientists that had been brought in by the government. 

There were also temporary wooden buildings that were used as offices and bunkers and a large, open-sided canopy that served as a mess hall.

Smack dab in the center of this new complex was what seemed like an innocuous-looking yellow school bus. Yet, this bus had a second wall of fencing around it; set about 10-feet out from all sides of the bus. On the outside of this inner wall was always a pair of guards walking the perimeter and one stationed at the gate.

Inside the bus, it had been stripped down nearly to the studs. The only thing left intact to show it was an actual bus was the driver’s compartment.

All the other chairs had been stripped out, hard rubber flooring was installed, along with six, narrow cots on one side of the bus. The bus had been retrofitted to allow for filtered air and air-conditioning.

All this was done because Driver refused to let the four comatose kids out of the bus. He’d kept them floating in midair in prone positions as workers nervously worked around them, but no matter how hard the government officials argued or threatened, they couldn’t get him to let them go.

When questioned why, Rob would simply reply that it was safer on the bus. After all was done, to the shock of General Rick Worthy and his superiors, Driver demanded, through Rob, that Aldis Hodge also be brought to the bus. After much arguing and accusations over who leaked Hodge’s location, Rob ended the arguments by saying that if the teen wasn’t brought willingly and put under his protection, then he would be taken from them forcefully. Aldis was soon after brought in and placed in the fifth cot on the bus.

When asked about the sixth cot, Rob refused to give details but stated a sixth couple was expected; one of the pair to be taken and one to be added to the five on the bus. General Worthy argued that if the aliens knew who the sixth couple was, then for their safety, the government should be told so that they could be brought in right away. But Driver was insistent that this last couple must come together on their own, just as the first five had and then refused to elaborate any further.

All of the parents of the children, including those who were taken, were allowed to get on the bus whenever they wanted. Some even sat with the children, talking to them even if they weren’t sure if the kids could hear them.

It was three weeks after Jensen was taken, and Donna had taken up the habit of sitting with Jared; somehow feeling closer to Jensen when she did. 

She and Alan were greatly worried about their only child, but after what they and everybody else in the world who’d watched Rob on television had experienced, Donna was confident that Driver was sincere about wanting to protect the Earth and the people on it. And when Rob took over, Donna was even more reassured when the grizzled war vet promised that he would also make sure their children were safe.

On this day, while sitting with Jared, Driver interrupted her soft reading of _’Martin The Warrior’_ , one of Jensen’s favorite books, and told her that she had a visitor at the main gate asking to see her.

When Donna rounded the last curve in the path that led to the main gates, she paused as she took in the two males standing beside the guard shack on the other side of the fence.

The younger one, a boy who looked to be around Jensen’s age, saw her and took a couple of steps toward the gates, only to be stopped when an armed guard grabbed his slim arm. The older, yet still younger than Donna, male yelled at the guard to let go of his brother, stepping forward to intervene but only managing to get himself grabbed and held by two more armed guards.

“Mrs. Ackles! Mrs. Ackles!” the younger one shouted. “It’s me, DJ! Please… I need to speak with you!”

Donna continued walking toward the gates, confusion and anger warring inside of her.

She clearly remembered DJ Qualls and, now that she got a good look at the older male, DJ’s step-brother, Brock Kelly. She remembered how much these two had hurt her son by their abandonment and disbelief during the whole Cohen incident, but seeing the young man being manhandled by a big soldier still set off her mothering instincts.

“Please stop!” she called out rushed up to the gate. “Don’t hurt them, I know them.”

DJ wrenched himself free of the guard holding him then rushed over to Donna, coming up to the fence and grabbing it with both hands.

“DJ? What… what are you doing here?” Donna asked, taking in the boy’s desperate, flushed expression.

“I saw you on the news over a week ago, heard about Jensen being one of the kids taken. I’m sorry for what I did to him, Mrs. Ackles, I’m so sorry I hurt him so much. I realized later how stupid I was and... and wanted to apologize, but you guys left town so fast and no one knew where you’d gone.”

“Well, that’s nice, DJ. But now is not really the best time to try and make amends. My son is gone and I don’t know where he is.” Donna replied, sadly.

“But that’s why I needed to see you. I made Brock drive me here, all the way from California. I know where Jensen is!”

“What?! What do you mean? How do you know where he is when I’ve been here since this all started and I don’t even know?!”

DJ tapped the side of his head and grinned.

“Because five days ago he started talking to me… in my head! Jensen has been talking to me in my mind!”

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed that. :)  
> I would sincerely love to hear what you think, so far.  
> Comments really do help to keep the muse happy.  
> Liked it or not, I'd still appreciate constructive feedback.


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